Baltimore Orioles Receive Lofty Spot in Way-Too-Early Next Season MLB Power Rankings

One MLB expert believes the Baltimore Orioles are in a great spot heading into the offseason.

Sep 29, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher James McCann (27) celebrates his three-run home run with teammates during the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The 2024 MLB season did not end on the high note that the Baltimore Orioles were hoping that it would.

After looking like legitimate World Series contenders in the first half, the team went off the rails in the second. They finished the season 91-71, but went 33-33 to end the campaign.

Collectively, the lineup went ice cold and the pitching depth proved to be too big of a hole to overcome.

As a result, the Orioles were eliminated from the playoffs in the Wild Card Round, swept by the Kansas City Royals. Their strong performance in the last week of the regular season proved to be a fluke as they scored one run, on a Cedric Mullins home run, in two games.

Now fully focused on the offseason, there are a lot of questions for the team to answer. They have key players hitting free agency, headlined by slugging right fielder Anthony Santander and ace Corbin Burnes.

But, they have an impressive stable of young players that look ready to contribute. 

That is part of the reason why David Schoenfield of ESPN has placed Baltimore as the best American League team in his way-too-early 2025 MLB power rankings.

The only teams ahead of them are the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres.

“They have two major free agents to replace: Corbin Burnes (15-9, 2.92 ERA) and Anthony Santander (44 home runs, 102 RBIs, .814 OPS), plus Kyle Bradish will be out after Tommy John surgery. The O's have the young bats to replace Santander -- Heston Kjerstad, Coby Mayo, maybe Sam Basallo in the second half -- plus Jackson Holliday and Colton Cowser should be better. And they have an MVP contender to build around in Gunnar Henderson. They'll need to add a starter to go alongside Grayson Rodriguez and Zach Eflin, but Baltimore comfortably projects as a playoff team based on its offensive foundation,” the MLB expert wrote.

Coming in at No. 4, that is a large jump from the No. 9 spot they occupied in the final edition of the 2024 power rankings. That speaks volumes to just how highly the team is thought of in the baseball world despite the uncertainty surrounding their impending free agents.

Continued development from the young guys on the team will keep them relevant in the AL. What will determine how legitimate of a contender they are is how they go about addressing their need for pitching in the rotation and bullpen.